Lupita and Laverne

On May 13th, 2015, famed actress Lupita Nyong'o wore a beautiful grasshopper green dress to the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The internet broke.

It seemed as though every entertainment blogger, website, and television show had something positive to say about Lupita. From the way she looked, from the way she twirled, from the way her smile glistened, everyone was in love. Normally, I would have participated in the swooning. I love Lupita. I think she's smart, I think she's likable, I think she's gorgeous. More importantly, I think she's a great person for little dark-skinned Black girls to look up to. But lately, something's been off. Every time People Magazine shares an article on Lupita's beauty, I shudder. Every time Lupita shows up on my Tumblr dashboard with a complimentary caption, I can't resist the urge to roll my eyes. It was starting to confuse me. Wouldn't I be happy to see someone like Lupita gaining so much popularity? 

Then it hit me. There's a post circulating on "Black Tumblr" that pretty much highlights the fact that whenever a dark-skinned Black woman posts a selfie it gets 1,000's of notes. Yet when the same dark-skinned Black woman talks about her lived experiences there is absolute silence. This is the problem. 

The problem is, colorism can cause a lot of emotional trauma for dark-skinned Black women. I've written on it before, so I'll spare you the details. But like any other type of emotional trauma, it's often difficult to talk about. So when we actually take the time to talk about it, it's kind of crappy that it's often ignored. 

So while Lupita's recognition is great, it also sheds a light on something a lot deeper. 

The constant need to force Black women into these cute and commercially marketable packages, without actually listening to what they have to say. This is a very heavy statement, so let me use another popular Black woman as an example. 

Laverne Cox. As one of the stars of the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, Laverne's fame seemed to skyrocket suddenly. She was on Best-dressed lists, the cover of Time magazine, and she seemed to be a constant guest on talk shows. She was a great example of a gorgeous Trans person of color stealing the hearts of fashion bloggers. But like Laverne said in an interview, her fame and popularity didn't stop my friend and Transgender activist Blake Brockington from killing himself this year. It's not Laverne's fault. She has spent years advocating for Trans issues. She has talked about it on multiple TV shows, and interviews. She has dedicated her life to promoting the acceptance of Trans people of color, but guess what she's known for? Being a gorgeous Trans women who's able to pass as a cisgender person. 

Many people believe that reblogging Laverne on Tumblr, liking her pictures, and referring to her by her correct pronouns suddenly somehow cures them of whatever cissexism and trasnphobia they had left in their bodies. By leaving cute emojis on Laverne's pictures, they don't have to answer to the fact that Trans women are being killed right down the street from them. By admiring Laverne's dresses, they don't have to listen to her when she talks about the high number of Trans suicides. By just embracing Laverne's beauty, they have done their good deed, and Trans people are now accepted in Hollywood, and in their everyday lives. 

This simply isn't true. Laverne is a person. She's an intelligent human being with a passion for helping others. She is more than her appearance, and she is more than her fashion sense. She is a talented actress and advocate. She is not the poster-woman for Trans acceptance.Yet every time she speaks on Trans issues it seems to go in one ear, and out the other for most Americans. People embrace Laverne, yet continue referring to Trans people using the incorrect pronouns, and remaining silent on Trans issues. 

The same can be said of Lupita. Even though Lupita isn't as activism focused as Laverne is, she has spoken on racism before. She rose to fame for a movie about slavery! She's mentioned colorism in her awards speeches, and has had multiple interviews acknowledging her Blackness. So why aren't we talking about the huge elephant in the room? Why aren't we talking about the fact that it's a HUGE deal for a dark-skinned woman to see someone with Lupita's complexion rising to fame? Why aren't we discussing the fact that it's extremely odd for someone with Lupita's skin tone to be on People magazine, and the face of Lancome?

Lupita becoming famous won't change the fact that I can never find my shade of makeup at the drugstore. It won't change the fact that dark-skinned women have been statistically imprisoned longer than their lighter-skinned counterparts. It won't change the fact that no matter what I do, I will constantly have to fight to be seen as feminine, and non-aggressive. Does it help? Yes. Does it erase colorism? No. 

Also, Lupita and Laverne are both wealthy and famous. Many Trans people don't have the option to "pass" as cis like Laverne can. They don't have the money or the access to proper healthcare. They fear walking down the street, applying for jobs, doing normal tasks. Lupita is beautiful, but she also maintains a lot of Eurocentric beauty characteristics. Despite her dark skin and short hair, she is small and petite. She has straight and white teeth, and acne-free skin. She has a thinner nose for a Black person. So while it's great that she's getting fame and recognition, it's very easy for someone to like one of Lupita's pictures, then refer to dark-skinned girls as "roaches" on Twitter. 

While a lot of White women are famous for their appearance and not their intelligence, it's different for Black women. When people like White women as celebrities, it's not pointed to as the ending of misogyny. However, when people like Laverne or Lupita, it's named as an example for transphobia and colorism fading out. 

Lupita and Laverne are great, and they deserve every ounce of recognition they recieve. However, it's important to recognize that while their fame represents big steps in terms of representation, there's still a lot more work to be done.